noun
abduction
uhb-DUHK-shn
noun
1
The crime of taking a person away by force or deception, typically to hold them against their will.
"Police treated the missing teenager's case as a possible abduction."
"The film is based on a real-life child abduction from the 1980s."
2
(anatomy) The movement of a limb away from the midline of the body.
"The physiotherapist tested the shoulder's range of abduction."
How to Use Abduction
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTaking someone away by force — kidnapping. In anatomy, it means moving a body part away from the center line of the body.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "adduction," the opposite anatomical movement (bringing a limb toward the body).
Easily confused with
adduction
Common pairings
child abduction
alien abduction
abduction of the arm
Word Forms
abductions plural
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Etymology
From Latin abductio, "a leading away," from ab- ("away") + ducere ("to lead") — the same root that gives us "conduct" and "duct."